Attorneys

With a career spanning two decades of practice in Southern California, Marla Kelley has navigated clients through a variety of complex civil litigation matters.  Ranging from wrongful death, catastrophic injury and product liability, to professional liability, construction defect, business and contract litigation, Ms. Kelley brings a wide range of experience to McQueen and Ashman. 

Formerly a partner with Booth, Mitchel and Strange, LLP, and a member of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Ms. Kelley worked for over 16 years with major insurance carriers and defended hundreds of businesses and individuals through arbitrations, mediations and trial in state court.  Through artful negotiation, Ms. Kelley established a strong record of reaching cost efficient settlements and resolutions in her cases.  Whether representing individual homeowners in construction defect matters, or major retailers and businesses such as Sport Chalet, Burger King, and Marie Callendars in product liability cases, Ms. Kelley's attention to detail and cost consciousness has earned her a reputation for giving her clients the best possible value for their legal fees. 

Other cases have included the successful representation of numerous real estate agents and brokers from Century 21 Beachside, Tarbell, First Team and 7 Gables Realty in lawsuits involving failure to disclose and breach of fiduciary duty issues, as well as a variety of homeowners that brought suit on the opposite side of those issues.  Likewise, Ms. Kelley has been retained as counsel on both sides of litigation directed at medical malpractice and other professional liability matters.  Ms. Kelley's background includes an of counsel position with the law firm of Cummings and Kemp, LLP defending a  homeowner association in construction defect and toxic tort litigation and a position as consultant to Parsekian Law Corporation, Inc. successfully specializing in major homeowner association construction defect disputes on the side of homeowners.  More recently, Ms. Kelley has focused her practice on business, contract and employment matters involving not to compete clauses.

In addition to her career, Ms. Kelley participates in a wide variety of community based volunteer projects, which utilize her professional expertise. She has served on several boards including seven years as President of her own homeowner's association, and as the Vice President of Corporate Development for the south Orange County School of the Arts.  Raising three children in South Orange County, Ms. Kelley has devoted much of her time to organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, AYSO, PTA, and as a legislative representative for the Capistrano Unified School District .  Whether as counsel in complex litigation or as a volunteer on a non- profit board of directors, Ms. Kelley uses her experience, commitment and dispute resolution skills to serve her clients and community with sound advice.